Culture

First night in a Bolivian city in Potosi. Far from being as bad
as I had read, it has a vibrant center with a lot of colonial
buildings. The difference with Chile is still very impressive,
Bolivia being a much poorer country. I did not visit the mines
which is the principal tourist attraction but the experience
seems like a very original thing to do.
![Potosi](http://travelingcoder.com/...
read more »

Mendoza is famous for being the wine capital of Argentina. It's the gateway to the vineyards of the
region and host of the country's biggest wine festival which I missed by a few. Mendoza is also the
last city on the road to Chile across the Andes mountain range.
They are more than a few activities to do around. The city is however very quiet during the
day and only wakes up at night. The...
read more »

A few days in Cordoba which is a nice city. I will remember this place more
because of the hostel I stayed at which was very cool rather than anything
special in the city.
I wanted to do a trip to the nearby mountain range but had to fallback on
another plan when then tour company forgot to pick me up. Instead, I did
a 3h bus ride from the local bus station to the middle of nowhere. Fun
...
read more »

As the Lonely Planet says, Kyoto is the place where even the Japanese come to learn
about their own history and culture. For a thousand years it was the capital of
Japan which may explains the incredible number of temples and shrines (over 2000!).
Kyoto cannot be visited in one day and requires a lot of walking! I would say the
minimum duration of your stay should be three days but you co...
read more »

Hué used to be the capital of the Empire and thus the Imperial City
was located there. Surrounded by the Citadel it still needs a lot
of restoration work (due to US bombing) but is worth a visit.
![Citadel Gate](http://travelingcoder.com/media/in-the-steps-of-the-emperor-in-hue/citadel-gate.jpg)
There are also many shrines and emperor tombs in the region. I found
the Tuduc Tomb to be...
read more »

Hoi An is the place everybody is raving about. I met so many travelers
who tell you how great Hoi An is so I couldn't wait to visit. After spending
3 days there, you can count me as one of the fans.
Hoi An is a small peaceful town located alongside a river, a few kilometers
away from the beach. It has a very laid back atmosphere. The Old Town
is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is incre...
read more »

After three weeks in Cambodia, is was time to discover a new country! Vietnam
here I am, starting with a few days in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), ex-Saigon.
HCMC is a busy, modern and quickly growing city. I was very surprised how modern
it was. It's also huge, something you can particularly appreciate from the top
of the Bitexco tower, the tallest in town (where it is also a perfect place to...
read more »

Second day in Angkor. This time waking up at 4h30 to witness the sunrise
in front of Angkor Wat. This is early but trust me, you don't want to miss it.
As the sun rises, the sky lights up in shades of red and purple, the shadow
of Angkor Wat in front. The view from the left side of the temple, where most
people gather, is beautiful in the very early morning. But as the sun emerges
from t...
read more »

Last stop in Cambodia but the one I was waiting for the most. Angkor is
one of those places that make you feel something, where ancient civilizations
talk to you through time and where your imagination goes wild.
To visit the Angkor National Park, you first have to set up base in Siem Reap,
the fifth largest city in Cambodia. It has an incredible concentration of hotels,
guest houses and...
read more »

Cambodia went through a very dark 20th century. After being under French rule,
the country was at war with Vietnam, bombed by the US and suffered from millions
of death under the Khmer Rouge.
The Democratic Kampuchea period (1975-79) under Khmer Rouge control is an horrifying
part of history which led to the loss of 25% of Cambodia's population. This event
being only 40 years ago, a lar...
read more »

How good it feels to back in a big city again! Feeling the energy only
this kind of international cities can give. After four weeks of sleepy
Laos, it was a pleasure to spend a week in Phnom Penh.
The capital of Cambodia is very busy, a bit dirty and under construction
but it's also full of trendy restaurants and bars, has a nice riverfront
and interesting things to do. You won't get b...
read more »

First stop in Laos after two days on the slow boat from Thailand: Luang Prabang.
This UNESCO World Heritage town is extremely charming with it's colonial style
buildings, great food and slow pace of life.
The city has a lot of temples in a different architecture than Thailand so it's worth
visiting the main ones. Do not miss Wat Xien Thong as it is the most beautiful. The
Royal Palace Mu...
read more »

Thailand is famous worldwide for its beautiful islands in the south but
the north shouldn't be overlooked and offer a different experience
of this great country. Chiang Mai is the biggest city of the northern
provinces and is a great place to do relax and have fun.
The city is the ancient capital of the Lanna kingdom and was founded
more than 700 years ago. The Old Town has lost almost a...
read more »

Leaving Bangkok on my way to Chiang Mai, I decided to stop in Sukhothai
for a few nights. The city is almost empty of tourists at
this time of the year and it I had a very relaxing two days.
The best way to visit the Old City is by renting bikes and cycling around.
The roads traversing the ruins are pretty good and it's a very easy ride.
It's also super cheap at 30B/day (less than 1€).
...
read more »

Bangkok is the capital city of the Thai Kingdom and as such there are temples
at every corners, some of them being huge, and the famous Grand Palace.
The Grand Palace is the residence of the King and is on the same ground as
the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaew. It's a big complex with
a lot of beautifully decorated buildings. Unfortunately, it's also the most
popular tourist ...
read more »

Up to Jaisalmer we were always lucky. None of us became sick, the weather was
always nice, we didn't get scammed, we haven't missed any flights, buses or trains
or any other travel annoyances. Things got a little less fun for me in the *Golden City*.
Jaisalmer is located in the Thar Desert, 100km from the Pakistan border. It is famous
for its fort, a still inhabited sandstone castle. You reac...
read more »

Jaipur is the capital city of the *land of the kings*, the largest Indian
state, Rajasthan. It's also known as the Pink City as the wall of the old
city are painted in pink color (which looks like orange to me...).
The city has a few famous landmarks. The City Palace, located in the center
of the old city was the residence of the Maharajas and is still used by
its descendants. It's quite an im...
read more »

I don't know if the Taj Mahal is the most beautiful building in the
world as some people are claiming but it clearly is at the top of the
list.
The white marble building is quite huge and lights up beautifully at
sunrise. The architect designed the building with a base so it's elevated
from the ground and as a result only has the sky as its background which
makes it really stand out.
![Tah M...
read more »

Varanasi must be one of the most, if not the most, chaotic city I ever went too.
It's the spiritual capital of India and one of the oldest continuously inhabited
city in the world.
Paradoxically there are few cars in the city center. And while there are rickshaws
(auto and cycle), what makes the streets so busy is the number of people. The streets
of the old city are narrow, dirty, smelly, f...
read more »

I had heard so many raving reviews from friends about Prague that it was a city
I was expecting a lot and it was indeed the perfect place to conclude my trip!
I only stayed 2 nights there (I should have stayed one more night) but I had enough
time to visit the most important things and take a good walk around the city.
The main site to visit is the Castle of Prague, which is the biggest castle...
read more »

Venice is truly a unique and magical place and it's a real pleasure to get lost in
the city. The only problem was that I was alone when the fact is Venice is
a destination for couples.
Literally getting lost in the city is the only way to get a feel of Venice. Anyways,
everybody probably ends up lost as following a map is too much work. Most streets are
really narrow and have turns and corne...
read more »

I was in Florence (*Firenze* in Italian) for the last few days, birth place of the Renaissance
and quite a nice city. The historic center is a mix of narrow streets and old buildings with
luxury shops. Of course the city is also full of museums and churches.
![View of Florence](/media/a-few-days-in-firenze/florence-from-the-duomo.jpg)
Florence is all about Art and churches. The dome of the ...
read more »

I left *Roma* this morning after 3 and a half days visiting what is a wonderful
city. The first one on my 15 days trip from Rome to Prague.
I didn't loose time on arrival and after an hour of bus from the Fiumicino airport
(half the price compared to the train) and checking in at my hostel I went straight
to visit the monument I've been waiting for the most.
The Coliseum is to Rome what the...
read more »

A few weeks ago I visited the Tutankhamun exhibition that was help in Paris (*Toutankhamon* in French).
I've always been fascinated by Ancient Egypt and this event was the perfect place to learn more about
the only perfectly preserved tomb ever found.
read more »

This weekend was the European Heritage Days 2012 (*Journées Européennes du Patrimoine* in French) and I took
this opportunity to visit the studio of France Télévisions (state tv - like BBC in the UK) and the National Assembly
(*Assemblée Nationale* in French).
As always with such events, the queues were terribly long: 5h30 at FranceTV and 2h30 at the Assembly!
Fortunately, both were worth the ...
read more »

As my brother was studying for one semester in Istanbul, I took the opportunity
to visit him on two occasions. The first trip was only 4 days long in march to
visit Istanbul. My second trip lasted a little bit longer and we visited the
coast around Antalya and Cappadocia.
## Istanbul
I went there in mid march and unfortunately it was exceptionally cold for the
season. It even snowed for a few...
read more »